1. Reduce Food Waste
- Try growing your own food. There are a multitude of ways that you can grow food from food scraps such as green onions, potatoes, celery, lettuce, the list goes on!
- Meal plan so you buy only what you need.
- Buy in bulk and create individual servings at home with reusable containers.
- Create a "use me first" shelf or box in your fridge or pantry.
- If you have an unopened item you know you won't consume before it will expire, donate it to a local food bank or charity.
2. Choose Reusable
- Try to find a reusable option for the single-use plastic item you use the most. This could be a reusable coffee mug, reusable shopping bag, cloth produce bags, steel straws, reusable paper towels, etc.
- Create an emergency reusable kit to keep in your car or bag in the event you forgot your reusable item at home. Add a reusable cup, food container, water bottle, shopping bag and cutlery, and you'll be ready for most situations!
3. Try a No-Buy Week
- For one week commit to buying nothing (other than food).
- If one week was easy, try and increase it to 2 weeks.
- Before you make a purchase, ask yourself first if you could borrow or buy this item secondhand?
4. Make a Waste Log
- Write down all the items you put into the trash and see if there are any "repeat offenders" for one week. From there try and find a reusable or recyclable alternative for the most common items you throw away.
5. Reduce Energy Consumption
- Replace burnt out incandescent light bulbs with LED light bulbs to reduce energy consumption. You will also need to replace bulbs less often, which means less waste.
- Don't forget to bring your old light bulbs to your nearest Eco Station.
- Need a new thermostat? Look into "smart" thermostats that lower energy usage by learning your habits and saving you energy and money when no one is home.
- Unplug electronics that aren’t in use or use a power bar to turn off items when not in use. Many appliances use energy to power appliance features such as display lights.
- Say no to single use plastics
- Refuse junk mail in your mailbox
- Opt out of unwanted mail and mailing lists
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